what doesn't kill you
by sleepycider
Summary: he bumped into her at a bar after a nasty breakup. he was absolutely drunk and he definitely didn't want to end up puking on her shoes. it wasn't how he wanted to meet the prettiest woman alive, but he'd take what he could get ; jelsa. modern au. multi crossover.


**hi ! wow it feels so strange to upload another jelsa story after a few years of being inactive! i'm aj, and thank you for clicking on this story! you may or may not know me (or at least my writing) from previous stories, such as _positive_ _effects_ and _a_ _poet's_ _soul_! i wrote those on my old account, which is now focused on a single fandom! i sincerely hope that i haven't lost my "touch" and that y'all enjoy this story! i guess that's all i have to say ? so please leave a review with any and all feedback! constructive criticism is appreciated!**

 ****disclaimer: i do not own frozen and rise of the guardians, nor do i own any other characters use in this story unless stated otherwise. i also don't own the song, what doesn't kill you (stronger) by kelly clarkson, which this story was inspired by. story is rated t for suggestive humor, stupid antics, and swearing! this is also lowkey rushed and might be dumb ? idk you tell me**

 **with that said, please enjoy the first chapter of _what doesn't kill you._**

* * *

Admittedly, Jack had other plans for the evening. Sitting at home with a tub of strawberry ice cream sounded ideal, but his friends apparently had a better idea. After his breakup with Mavis, he wanted to try and get a grip within the comforts of his own house. Or at least get a full night's sleep before parading around town.

Unfortunately, Hiccup didn't give him that option. The brunette literally shoved Jack off of his own bed, ushering the lanky male to get in the shower.

"We're not gonna let your ex win. She dumped you for that weird Johnny dude! How lame is that?"

"Can you like, _not_ remind me why I was dumped last week? I'm trying to repress the memory." Jack groaned from his spot on the carpeted floor, his voice muffled.

Hiccup winced, leaning down to offer a hand to his friend. "Sorry, I'm not very good at being supportive." He smiled awkwardly, helping the man to his feet. "At least Astrid didn't pop in to tell you to man up, right?"

As soon as Jack opened his mouth to speak, the woman in question pushed her way into his bedroom.

"Speak of the devil." he muttered, steadying himself on Hiccup's shoulder.

"You still haven't left home? C'mon dude. Seriously, man up." Astrid crossed her arms as she looked at the two men, raising an eyebrow as she took in Jack's disheveled appearance.

"And get in the shower! You smell like you went swimming in a sewer!"

"Okay Astrid, that's a _bit_ of an exaggeration."

The owner of the apartment sighed and sent a very recognizable finger in their direction, trudging into the bathroom with a frown on his face.

He groaned as he reached for the knobs inside the shower, struggling to turn on the heat in his current position. After a few more moments of searing pain coursing through his lower back, Jack hummed in appreciation at the warmth of the water.

He adjusted another knob and water started pouring into the tub. He set the plug in place, and things finally felt like they were turning around.

"I might be awhile! This bath is calling my name!"

— _**stronger —**_

As expected, Jack was in the bathroom for over an hour. Hiccup and Astrid decided to sort through their friend's closet, hoping to find an outfit suitable for the night's activities. If they were going to drag him out of his house, he was absolutely going to get shitfaced.

Sure, getting drunk wasn't always the answer, but Jack was in need of a good time with some friends looking out for him.

And he recognized the look in their eyes when he exited the bathroom with a towel secured around his waist. He crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow, as if challenging them to elaborate.

Astrid glanced at Hiccup, daring him to fill Jack in on the plans for the night. He eyed the blonde with an annoyed glare, before sighing.

"So we made reservations at that new club and—"

The owner of the apartment held his hand up, effectively silencing his friend. "Absolutely not." Jack snapped, turning around toward his dresser. He opened the top drawer and searched for a pair of boxers, but he came up short.

He dared to sneak a peek over his shoulder, and _of_ _course_ Astrid is holding his underwear. Neither of the two men are surprised, though Jack sighed and held his hand out.

"Gimme."

His female friend feigned innocence, but the smirk on her face betrayed the look in her eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about. All I know is that your best friends have prepared a night for you to cope with the situation, and you've turned them down."

Hiccup snickered, raising an eyebrow at Astrid. She was a horrid actress, and even Jack seemed to be holding back a laugh.

"Okay you _ass_ , what if I don't agree to go with you to 'cope.'" He made air quotes with his free hand, using the other to keep that damn towel in place.

"Then I guess you won't get to wear any underwear."

Jack finally let out the laugh he'd been holding, rolling his eyes at his friends.

"Alright, sweet. I've got a night of sweet nudity ahead of me." He winked at the two of them, turning around to head back into the bathroom.

Just before he closed the door, he dropped the towel to bare his butt in all of its glory, effectively earning simultaneous groans.

"Gross. I never want to see an ass that pale ever again."

"Your underwear's on the bed, you piece of shit."

The door to his bedroom slammed shut, and Jack smiled triumphantly. "Nice try, losers! Better luck next time!"

He proceeded to pull on the boxers before tossing on a pair of jeans. He glanced down at the dirty towel now laying on the ground, before shrugging and promptly ignoring it.

Jack smirked before following his friends out the door, taking in the appearance of his apartment. It was cleaner than when he'd last left it, probably due to the two idiots sharing what was _definitely_ the only beer bottle Jack had left.

"You guys are the worst. I was saving that for tonight's mental breakdown."

Astrid pointed her middle finger in his direction, taking a swig of the alcohol. "If you agree to come with us tonight, you can have your mental breakdown with some whiskey. And it'll be on me."

Jack groaned, feeling his mouth water at the thought of his sweet whiskey. "That's unfair. You know that whiskey is my favorite." He whined, finally reaching for the drink in her hand. He took a swig, hardly bothered by the fact that the two of them previously drank from the bottle.

"Tell you what. You go pick up some hair dye from that super expensive hair salon, and I'll go with y'all tonight. _If_ the drinks are still free."

Hiccup sneered at the suggestion, his arms now crossed against his chest.

"Please tell me that you won't go back to that god awful color. You looked shitty back in high school, and you'll look shitty now."

Jack only smirked, leaning against the counter, holding out his free hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Astrid glared at him before taking his hand in hers, shaking it. "Deal."

"Alright, sweet. I'd wash that hand if I were you, though."

The second male in the room bit his lip to keep his giggles at bay, quickly catching on to what Jack had done. Astrid may know Jack pretty well, but no one knew him like Hiccup did. They'd been to hell and back, and they were brothers without the blood relation.

The woman raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her hand for a moment. "What did you do…?"

Jack smirked, turning in his heel to go get dressed. He waved noncommittally, sneering quietly.

"Oh _nothing_ , I just used that hand to wash my dick."

He entered his room without another word, laughing as Astrid's shout of disgust echoed off of the walls.

— _**stronger —**_

Jack had gotten ready in record time, and the three friends had arrived at the club before ten o'clock. His newly dyed hair seemed to sparkle brilliantly under the neon lights, and he continued to shoot smirks in Hiccup's direction.

The brunette was obviously _not_ happy with the color chosen, but if it helped Jack retain his obnoxious personality, he supposed he'd have to get used to it.

Besides, it would be easy to track the mop of white hair if the idiot got lost in the crowd, especially a crowd of this size.

The Night Fury was fairly new, having only been standing for a good few months. It'd quickly gained fame for the neon lights and ultraviolet lighting that illuminated the dark space.

It wasn't Jack's scene, but he decided it was as good a place as any to get wasted. He hardly waited to order a bottle of whiskey, and he _definitely_ didn't wait to down the whole thing in minutes.

Astrid grumbled about the newly single man being an expensive asshole as she ordered a drink for herself, promptly letting him go off on his own. Of course, he only left her alone when she bought him another bottle.

Hiccup leaned back against the wall to the left of her, his watchful eyes scanning the perimeter of the place. Someone had to keep an eye on things, and he had always preferred to stay sober anyway.

Jack had quickly taken to being a social butterfly, giggling as he spoke to the dozens of people in the cramped space. One particularly pretty girl caught his attention, so he stumbled his way over to her with a lopsided grin.

"Hi my name is single." he slurred, erupting into a new fit of giggles. "No wait, that's not right."

The woman in front of him looked quite uncomfortable, not that he noticed in the state he was in.

"I'm Jack." he hiccuped, lazily holding his hand out to shake hers. "I don't usually come to clubs, but Hiccup dragged me here because I got dumped."

Jack hiccuped again, his eyes finally taking in the discomfort in her own eyes. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude!" he frowned, hurriedly shoving his hand into his pocket and away from her.

"You're just really, _really_ gorgeous and I'd never be able to talk to you like this if I was sober." She seemed to understand, visibly relaxing by the tiniest bit.

"I'm sorry for not answering you. Some drunk guy bothered my sister a few months back, so I've been a little wary."

 _Fuck._ Her voice was absolutely beautiful, Jack realized.

"I… uh, yeah. I'm sorry that happened…?" He offered, obviously not knowing what to say.

To his surprise, the pretty girl laughed and shook her head. "That's quite alright. I realize that I could've said something easier to talk about."

Jack was about to open his mouth to speak, but she beat him to the punch. "I don't think you need anymore drinks, but I'd be happy to sit and talk to you while you sober up."

He simply nodded, letting her lead him to a half empty couch across from the bar. They sat down, and Jack had already forgotten everything that led to this moment. He didn't care for the reason that he was here, only that he _was here_ with…

Oh, she never stated her name.

"I uh. I'm Jack." he said lamely, passing off his half empty bottle of whiskey to some drunk dumbass that passed by.

The woman snickered and raised an eyebrow, crossing her leg over the other at the knee. "I believe you told me that, but I appreciate the proper introduction."

She had the audacity to then wink at him, effectively spreading a warm feeling through his chest.

"I'm Elsa, by the way. My cousin dragged me here to wallow in her misery, and so I could drive her home if she got too drunk."

"Misery?" he muttered, wondering if Elsa's cousin had experienced something similar to what he had.

"Mhm." Elsa confirmed. "Her boyfriend broke up with her, so she figured that getting drunk was better than crying herself to sleep."

Jack nodded in agreement, starting to see why Hiccup and Astrid were so eager to drag him here. With the bright lights and the alcohol, it was basically the place to cure heartbreak. But don't quote him on that. He was absolutely drunk out of his mind.

He would never admit it, but Jackson Overland Frost was a dumb lightweight who never made good choices involving alcohol. And so, he did what any drunk dumbass would do.

He promptly puked onto Elsa's shoes, covering his mouth in horror.

She was absolutely silent for a moment, just staring at the mess he'd made.

"I'm so sorry! I guess I drank more than my body could handle _again_ and! I'm so sorry let me go get something to clean this up!" He continued to ramble apologies, hoping that she wouldn't hate him.

"I'll admit, I had a _feeling_ that this would happen tonight, but I figured Rapunzel would be the one to do it."

He finally shut his mouth long enough to look at her, extremely confused by the forgiving smile gracing her lips.

"Uh… you're not mad?"

Elsa laughed, actually _laughed_.

"Oh, I'm definitely mad that you vomited on my shoes."

His heart sank into his stomach, and maybe more vomit was starting to rise in the back of his throat.

"But I guess I could forgive you. On one condition though."

Jack gulped, almost afraid of what she was going to say. She continued to smile, and it unnerved him to no end.

"Give me your phone."

" _What?"_

"You heard me, frosty. Let me see it."

Against his better judgment, he fished his phone out of his pocket. He cautiously held it out for her to see, and she surprisingly didn't take it and bolt.

Sure, she _did_ grab it, but she unlocked it with ease. She seemed to type something in, and he wondered what it was. Elsa locked it once more before handing it back to him, seeming like she wanted to say something else.

A shrill shout cut off whatever she was going to say, and Elsa spared him an apologetic look. "And that would be Rapunzel." she sighed, rising to her feet. She grabbed a couple of napkins from the table in front of them, scrubbing her shoes before sharing another look of apology.

"It was nice meeting you, Jack, but I'm afraid that's my cue." She waved at him before hurrying off toward the woman who seemed to have started a fight across the club.

Unsure of what to do next, the man hummed under his breath. Before he could even form another thought, Jack puked onto the floor once again. After that, the rest of the night went by in a blur.

He was certain that he'd vomited a few more times, and he probably danced his ass off, but one could never be sure.

The one truly definitive thing of the night had been that conversation with Elsa, and even then he only knew that because of his phone going off in the morning.

 _i know i said i'd forgive you for throwing up on my shoes, but i've decided that you're going to take me out to buy some new ones. hope to see you at crestwood mall next saturday at noon! - elsa_


End file.
